Chapter 7 - Ghosts from the Past
Ethan’s old corner office at the Whitaker Development headquarters held a suffocating, chilling atmosphere. Under court authorization, Claire took over the office to review all financial records ahead of the crucial preliminary hearing. She was not alone; accompanying her was private investigator Mark Vance, the man who had helped her expose the murder three months prior.
"They don't just have an offshore account in the Cayman Islands," Mark said, flipping through a freshly decoded stack of banking documents. "Ethan and Madeline built an intricate money laundering network through shell charities. And worse, Claire... it looks like Daniel Carver wasn't the only one who discovered this."
Claire tightened her grip on her coffee mug, narrowing her eyes in tension. "What do you mean? Was there someone else?"
"The company's original chief financial officer, Robert Vance—no relation to me—suddenly resigned and fled the country three years ago, right around the time Daniel passed away," investigator Mark lowered his voice to explain. "He had threatened to sue the company over financial irregularities. Two weeks later, he vanished completely."
At that exact moment, the desktop computer monitor flickered and displayed an encrypted single-line command prompt: "You are stepping out of bounds, nurse. Stop before your second child faces danger."
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A dead silence filled the room. Claire felt a cold chill run down her spine. The enemy was close; they were tracking her every move, ready to strike brutally to protect their illegal fortune. But instead of fear, her fighting spirit roared louder than ever. She was fighting not only for justice for Daniel, but for the absolute safety of Noah and baby Maya waiting at home.
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